DIVING AND DIVE SITE INFORMATION

Nai’a Flaya - Advanced

This is a 300 metre drift dive and not recommended for the novice. As the channel is around 40 metres deep here you need to keep an eye on your gauges. Bommies are covered in purple and yellow soft corals and after drifting past the first bommie you will be in around 20 metres of water. Anthias are prolific and lionfish, mantas and grey reef sharks are present.

Rob’s Knob

This dive starts in shallow water and then drops to around 10 metres. There is an abundance of sea fans and anemones and the huge porcelain crab just waiting for the next feed from the nutrient rich currents. There are bommies of different sizes with undercuts, small windows, crevices and nooks with mostly hard corals and anemones, some with a range of soft corals. Batfish, wrasses, butterfly fish and rabbitfish hover around this site.

Vatu-i-Cake – Intermediate

This site is not frequented regularly by divers. It has several shallow bommies. There are fabulous hard-coral gardens, patches of soft corals and sea fans. A window extrudes from the sheer wall embellished with soft corals and whip corals. Look for barracuda, tangs, fusiliers and unicornfish.

 Lomaiviti Group

This group is to the east of Viti Levu with dive sites located around Naigani, Wakaya and Gau. Wakaya is the home of another world famous elite resort. Gau is the fifth largest island but remains virtually undeveloped due to isolation and transportation issues. A new resort is very close to commence business. The diving here is varied with lots of coral and unusual denizens of the deep with most diving done from liveaboards.

Nursery – Novice

This site is a bommie completely enmeshed in  prolific coral growth. This is the perfect site for the beginner or novice diver due to the low depth and lack of currents. Leather corals, anemones, leather corals, floral wrasse and leatherjacket abound here.

Lion’s Den – Intermediate

Move along the wall until you reach a large cut. Watch out for lionfish and dartfish and occasionally you may spot a juvenile ribbon eel. Further along there is a beautiful display of yellow soft corals but this area is quite deep and has strong currents so be aware. Bommies in shallower water abound in octopus and whitetip shark while leopard sea cucumbers also mix it up with emperor shrimp.

Shark Alley – Advanced

Not for the meek and mild this dive has around 20 grey reef skarks in residence. The channel is lined with purple and red soft-coral trees although at times the current is pretty strong and it is difficult to slow down. Drift until you come to Y-junction where you can hide behind some rocks and watch as the world goes by.

 Lau Group

 This is by far the remotest group from the mainland and consists of around 60 small islands scattered across the Koro Sea. It has a strong Tongan influence. The islands are quite beautiful and present a challenge to divers as they are mostly unexplored by diving enthusiasts. A favourite haven of the yachtie persuasion due to its remoteness and protected bays.

Wailagi Lala Passage – Advanced

This passage is the only reef opening and so the currents can be quite strong with advanced diving skills required. Following the south side of the passage the wall is covered with a spectular display of multi-colored soft corals. Purple appears to be the color of the day. Predators such as barracuda, and bronze whalers lurk around when the current is running waiting for the unwary victim.

West Wall – Novice

This is a sheer drop-off on the western barrier reef and it is advised that this site should only be tackled when the ocean is calm. The wall reaches 20 metres and due to exposure to the elements this site is home to stronger species such as cauliflower coral and lobe coral. A great area to go lobster hunting

Adavaci Passage – Intermediate

Commencing at the channel marker beacon on the south side of Adavaci Passage, drop down onto a virgin coral reef covered in antler and staghorn corals.  There are also aquamarine blue soft coral with whitetip reef sharks meandering by. When the current runs the usual array of predators move in for the kill.

Although not a complete list of dive sites this may give you some idea of what’s on offer from our ‘Smorgasbord of Diving’ here in Fiji. The list is endless.